Permethrin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Permethrin is a pyrethroid sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for lice infestations and scabies. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Pyrethroid
- Treats (across its forms)
- Lice Infestations and Scabies
- Available as
- Rinse · Topical
- Sold as
- 2 products — Nix and Elimite
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Not in our catalog
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $0.23 per gm — not your price
How Elimite is dosed
From the FDA label for Elimite (application NDA019855). Other permethrin products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Adults and Children - Thoroughly massage Permethrin Cream, 5% into the skin from the head to the soles of the feet. Scabies rarely infests the scalp of adults, although the hairline, neck, temple, and forehead may be infested in infants and geriatric patients. Usually 30 grams is sufficient for an average adult. The cream should be removed by washing (shower or bath) after 8 to 14 hours. Infants should be treated on the scalp, temple, and forehead. ONE APPLICATION IS GENERALLY CURATIVE. Patients may experience persistent pruritus after treatment. This is rarely a sign of treatment failure and is not an indication for retreatment. Demonstrable living mites after 14 days indicate that retreatment is necessary.
Everything below is the FDA label for Elimite (topical). Permethrin is also sold as rinse, and those are different medicines to take — follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Elimite side effects
In clinical trials, generally mild and transient burning and stinging followed application with Permethrin Cream, 5% in 10% of patients and was associated with the severity of infestation. Pruritus was reported in 7% of patients at various times post-application. Erythema, numbness, tingling, and rash were reported in 1 to 2% or less of patients (see PRECAUTIONS: General ). Other adverse events reported since marketing Permethrin Cream, 5% include: headache, fever, dizziness, abdominal pain, diarrhea and nausea and/or vomiting. Although extremely uncommon and not expected when used as directed (see DOSAGE AND ADMINISTRATION ), rare occurrences of seizure have been reported. None have been medically confirmed as associated with Permethrin Cream, 5% treatment.
Who shouldn’t take Elimite
Permethrin Cream, 5% is contraindicated in patients with known hypersensitivity to any of its components, to any synthetic pyrethroid or pyrethrin.
Every permethrin product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Prescription | Rinse | Generic | $0 | View → | |
| 2 | 68/100 | Prescription | Topical | Generic | $0 | View → |
How long permethrin keeps
No permethrin label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does permethrin expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsPermethrin and breastfeeding
From LactMed, the US National Library of Medicine’s Drugs and Lactation Database — quoted, not rewritten.
Full LactMed record for permethrin: levels in milk, effects in breastfed infants, and the drugs it would consider insteadBecause less than 2% is absorbed after topical application, rapid metabolism to inactive metabolites and safe application directly on infants’ skin, topical permethrin products are acceptable in nursing mothers.[1–5] Extensive exposure, such as from agricultural use or malaria control might have long-term health concerns because residues can be found in breastmilk. Only water-miscible cream, gel or liquid products should be applied to the breast because ointments may expose the infant to high levels of mineral paraffins via licking.
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, record revised June 15, 2025. LactMed states its information is not a substitute for professional judgement.
What people report to the FDA about permethrin
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 1,434 reports naming permethrin, and the FDA flagged 48% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- pruritus111 reports
- chronic kidney disease66 reports
- anxiety65 reports
- rash60 reports
- nausea59 reports
- headache58 reports
- dry skin54 reports
- diarrhoea52 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean permethrin caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is Elimite?
Permethrin Cream, 5% is a topical scabicidal agent for the treatment of infestation with Sarcoptes scabiei (scabies). It is available in an off-white, greaseless, uniform mass. Permethrin Cream, 5% is for topical use only.
What kind of drug is permethrin?
The FDA classifies permethrin as a pyrethroid. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take permethrin with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run permethrin against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is permethrin sold under?
We track 2 permethrin-containing products in the U.S.: Nix and Elimite. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does permethrin come in?
Across the brands we track, permethrin is currently marketed as rinse and topical, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic permethrin?
We do not currently list a generic-labelled permethrin product. That does not always mean none exists — it means none appears under a generic name in the FDA data we track. Ask your pharmacist.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Permethrin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/permethrin
- MLA
- “Permethrin: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/permethrin.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for permethrin on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.